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Indigenous materials

  • Auteur:
    Peers, Laura Lynn
    Sommaire:

    Among the most dynamic Aboriginal peoples in western Canada today are the Ojibwa, who have played an especially vital role in the development of an Aboriginal political voice at both levels of government. Yet, they are relative newcomers to the region, occupying the parkland and prairies only since the end of the 18th century. This work traces the origins of the western Ojibwa, their adaptations to the West, and the ways in which they have coped with the many challenges they faced in the first century of their history in that region, between 1780 and 1870. The western Ojibwa are descendants of Ojibwa who migrated from around the Great Lakes in the late 18th century. This was an era of dramatic change. Between 1780 and 1870, they survived waves of epidemic disease, the rise and decline of the fur trade, the depletion of game, the founding of non-Native settlement, the loss of tribal lands, and the government’s assertion of political control over them. As a people who emerged, adapted, and survived in a climate of change, the western Ojibwa demonstrate both the effects of historic forces that acted upon Native peoples, and the spirit, determination, and adaptive strategies that the Native people have used to cope with those forces. This study examines the emergence of the western Ojibwa within this context, seeing both the cultural changes that they chose to make and the continuity within their culture as responses to historical pressures. The Ojibwa of Western Canada differs from earlier works by focussing closely on the details of western Ojibwa history in the crucial century of their emergence. It is based on documents to which pioneering scholars did not have access, including fur traders’ and missionaries’ journals, letters, and reminiscences. Ethnographic and archaeological data, and the evidence of material culture and photographic and art images, are also examined in this well-researched and clearly written history.

  • Auteur:
    Lomberg, Michelle
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    Provides information on the Ojibwa Indians with a focus on their homes, communities, clothing, food, religion, and more.

  • Auteur:
    Teillet, Jean
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    There is a missing chapter in the narrative of Canada's Indigenous peoples-- the story of the Métis Nation, a new Indigenous people descended from both First Nations and Europeans. Their story begins in the last decade of the eighteenth century in the Canadian North-West. Within twenty years the Métis proclaimed themselves a nation and won their first battle. Within forty years they were famous throughout North America for their military skills, their nomadic life and their buffalo hunts. The Métis Nation didn't just drift slowly into the Canadian consciousness in the early 1800s; it burst onto the scene fully formed. The Métis were flamboyant, defiant, loud and definitely not noble savages. They were nomads with a very different way of being in the world-- always on the move, very much in the moment, passionate and fierce. They were romantics and visionaries with big dreams. They battled continuously-- for recognition, for their lands and for their rights and freedoms. In 1870 and 1885, led by the iconic Louis Riel, they fought back when Canada took their lands. These acts of resistance became defining moments in Canadian history, with implications that reverberate to this day: Western alienation, Indigenous rights and the French/English divide. After being defeated at the Battle of Batoche in 1885, the Métis lived in hiding for twenty years. But early in the twentieth century, they determined to hide no more and began a long, successful fight back into the Canadian consciousness. The Métis people are now recognized in Canada as a distinct Indigenous nation. Written by the great-grandniece of Louis Riel, this popular and engaging history of "forgotten people" tells the story up to the present era of national reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

  • Auteur:
    Hughes, Lotte
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    Since the first edition of the No-Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples was published in 2003, much has changed. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous rights have become an increasingly important subject in international law, with Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, arguing on the international stage from an indigenous perspective, and introducing policies benefiting indigenous communities through land reforms and redistribution of wealth. Moreover, there has been a surge in indigenous activism and advocacy, with the growth of a global indigenous rights industry, the effects of which are not always positive. This updated edition reflects the changing context and examines the developments as well as the tensions and contradictions, and includes as many direct voices as possible.

  • Auteur:
    Erdrich, Louise
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    Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?

    Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

    Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

    In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.

  • Auteur:
    Taylor, Drew Hayden
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    Nothing ever happens on the Otter Lake reservation. But when 16-year-old Tiffany discovers her father is renting out her room, she’s deeply upset. Sure, their guest is polite and keeps to himself, but he’s also a little creepy. Little do Tiffany, her father, or even her astute Granny Ruth suspect the truth. The mysterious Pierre L’Errant is actually a vampire, returning to his tribal home after centuries spent in Europe. But Tiffany has other things on her mind: her new boyfriend is acting weird, disputes with her father are escalating, and her estranged mother is starting a new life with somebody else. Fed up and heartsick, Tiffany threatens drastic measures and flees into the bush. There, in the midnight woods, a chilling encounter with L’Errant changes everything ... for both of them. A mesmerizing blend of Gothic thriller and modern coming-of-age novel, The Night Wanderer is unlike any other vampire story.

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    A series of essays which explore the intermingling of European and native American peoples bringing about ethnogenesis - how new peoples, new ethnicities and new nationalities come into being.

  • Auteur:
    Stonechild, Blair
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    Post-secondary education, often referred to as “the new buffalo,” is a contentious but critically important issue for First Nations and the future of Canadian society. While First Nations maintain that access to and funding for higher education is an Aboriginal and Treaty right, the Canadian government insists that post-secondary education is a social program for which they have limited responsibility.In The New Buffalo, Blair Stonechild traces the history of Aboriginal post-secondary education policy from its earliest beginnings as a government tool for assimilation and cultural suppression to its development as means of Aboriginal self-determination and self-government. With first-hand knowledge and personal experience of the Aboriginal education system, Stonechild goes beyond merely analyzing statistics and policy doctrine to reveal the shocking disparity between Aboriginal and Canadian access to education, the continued dominance of non-Aboriginals over program development, and the ongoing struggle for recognition of First Nations run institutions.

  • Auteur:
    GoldenEagle, Carol Rose
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    The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) weaves the stories of a group of women committed to helping one another. Despite abuse experienced by some, both in their own community and in residential schools, these women learn to celebrate their culture, its stories, its dancing, its drums, and its elders. Principal of these elders is Nina, the advisor at the women's shelter. With the help of Sandy and Charlene, Nina uses Indigenous practices to heal the traumatized Mary Ann. This is a powerful novel--sometimes brutally violent, sometimes healing, sometimes mythical, and always deeply respectful of the Indigenous culture at its heart.

  • Auteur:
    GoldenEagle, Carol Rose
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    The Narrows of Fear (Wapawikoscikanik) navigates the unsettling, but necessary. When love of, and respect for, culture goes awry, it is our Indigenous women who bring us back to what is important. This novel is an interweaving of stories centred on a range of characters, both male and female, though the women, for the most part, are the healers. Though several were abused both in their own community and in residential schools, these women are smart and loving and committed to helping one another. They eagerly learn to celebrate their culture, its stories, its dancing, its drums, and its elders. Principal of these elders is Nina, the advisor at the women's shelter. With the help of Sandy and Charlene, both of whom are educated and courageous, overcoming losses of their own, Nina uses Indigenous practices to heal the traumatized Mary Ann. This is a very powerful novel—sometimes brutally violent, sometimes healing, sometimes mythical, and always deeply respectful of the Aboriginal culture at its heart.

  • Auteur:
    Runningdeer, Islene
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    The Musician Healer resurrects a long-forgotten role for musicians and provides clear guidance for preparation and self-development as a musician healer in order to reactivate this role for the modern world. It begins with the author's personal musical story that draws upon her Mi'kmaq/Abenaki First Nation and French roots, followed by a section on the history of musician healers from ancient Egypt and India. Runningdeer then explores the energetic aspects of music healing, especially the quality of personal energies that a musician channels through her music, and how to elevate and emanate those vibrations for positive healing outcomes.

  • Auteur:
    Kusugak, Michael
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    A young girl discovers nature's surprising beauty in this tale from a renowned Inuit storyteller. When Aggataa goes for a cold winter walk with her grandmother, she's surprised by a sudden CRAH! All the birds have flown south for the winter except one kind--the tulugarguat, the ravens. They're the ugliest birds that Aggaataa has ever seen. They look like they slept in their coats--coats that don't even fit! However, as the winter slowly moves towards spring, Aggataa connects with one small raven in particular. As the seasons change in full, the ravens leave and are replaced by seagulls, cranes, geese, ducks, and swans--all of them far more elegant than the "Ugly Bird." But where Aggataa once thought the ravens odd for visiting during the harshest part of the year, she now finds herself watching the horizon, waiting for the return of the most amazing bird. This touching story by award-winning author Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak reminds us of our lasting connection to nature, while art by celebrated illustrator Andrew Qappik, CM, illuminates the enduring magic of the changing seasons.

  • Auteur:
    Loyie, Oskiniko Larry
    Sommaire:

    Based on memories from his childhood, Aboriginal author Larry Loyie tells of the adventures of Lawrence, an Aboriginal boy who learns many lessons during the winter season. Lawrence learns respect for sled dogs and how to build a sliding machine out of things that are laying around, and is brought closer to his family.

  • Auteur:
    Hall, Louis Karoniaktajeh
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    The first collection of its kind, this anthology by members of the Mohawk Warrior Society uncovers a hidden history and paints a bold portrait of the spectacular experience of Kanien'kehá:ka survival and self-defense. Providing extensive documentation, context, and analysis, the book features foundational writings by prolific visual artist and polemicist Karoniaktajeh Louis Hall (1918–1993)—such as his landmark 1979 pamphlet, The Warrior's Handbook, as well as selections of his pioneering artwork. This book contains new oral history by key figures of the Rotisken'rhakéhte's revival in the 1970s, and tells the story of the Warriors' famous flag, their armed occupation of Ganienkeh in 1974, and the role of their constitution, the Great Peace, in guiding their commitment to freedom and independence. We hear directly the story of how the Kanien'kehá:ka Longhouse became one the most militant resistance groups in North America, gaining international attention with the Oka Crisis of 1990. This auto-history of the Rotisken'rhakéhte is complemented by a Mohawk history timeline from colonization to the present, a glossary of Mohawk political philosophy, and a new map of Iroquoia in Mohawk language. At last, the Mohawk Warriors can tell their own story with their own voices, and to serve as an example and inspiration for future generations struggling against the environmental, cultural, and social devastation cast upon the modern world.

  • Auteur:
    Einarson, Earl
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    This is an endearing story of a young Aboriginal foster child who is given a special gift by his foster mother. Her gift of warmth and thoughtfulness helps her young foster children by encouraging self-esteem, acceptance and love. Written as a simple story, it speaks of a positive foster experience.

  • Auteur:
    Choyce, Lesley, Joe, Rita
    Sommaire:

    A varied and spirited collection of work by the Mi’kmaq writers of Atlantic Canada, this volume brings together young and old and includes short stories, autobiography, poetry and personal essays. Valuable as a landmark of an ancient culture, The Mi’kmaq Anthology also delivers to a wide audience the wealth of creative talent within the Mi’kmaq community. Although many voices here are new to the reading public, this volume radiates with deep spirituality, social awareness, intellectual energy and a passionate concern for preserving the Mi’kmaq way of life.Authors include Don Julien, Lindsay Marshall, Murdena Marshall, Mary Louise Martin, Elsie Charles Basque, Shirley Kiju Kawi, Noel Knockwood, Helen Sylliboy, Marie Batiste, Theresa Meuse, Isabelle Knockwood, Katherine Sorbey, Daniel N. Paul, Sunset Rose Morris, Harold Gloade and Rita Joe.

  • Auteur:
    Stephenson, Wendy
    Sommaire:

    The Missing Caribou Hide is a story that passes through the years in Tlicho history. It tells of times when people lived a simpler life built around the fur trade, hard work and helping one another. It tells of times when relationships with animals and our environment were stronger than they are today. In this story, a young girl who lives with her grandmother, wishes to own a sled so that she can go sliding like the other children in her community. However, her grandmother needs her to help with chores around the home. The young girl has developed a friendship with Tatso (Raven), Ihk'aa (Canada Jay), Nomba (Weasel) and Nooge (Fox). Because of her kindness, the four animal friends decide to help her out. Included in this book is the use of Tlicho language as well as Tlicho legends told about these animals from the traditional stories of community elders. It has been edited and translated by the community members themselves.

  • Auteur:
    Udall, Brady
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    When he is seven, Edgar Mint is run over by a mailman. Three months later, the half-Apache and mostly orphaned boy miraculously wakes from a coma. Thus begins an odyssey that will take young Edgar from a hospital for indigents to a prison-like school for Native Americans and on to the home of a dysfunctional Mormon foster family. But Edgar never forgets his goal: to find the mailman and let him know that he is alive and well.

  • Auteur:
    Polak, Monique
    Sommaire:

    Noah Thorpe is spending the school term in George River, in Quebec's Far North, where his dad is an English teacher in the Inuit community. Noah's not too keen about living in the middle of nowhere, but getting away from Montreal has one big advantage: he gets a break from the bully at his old school. But Noah learns that problems have a way of following you -- no matter how far you travel. To the Inuit kids, Noah is a qallunaaq, a southerner, someone ignorant of the customs of the North. Noah thinks the Inuit have a strange way of looking at the world, plus they eat raw meat and seal blubber. Most have never left George River -- a town that doesn't even have its own doctor, let alone a McDonald's. But Noah's views change when he goes winter camping and realizes he will have to learn a few lessons from his Inuit buddies if he wants to make it home.

  • Auteur:
    Owl, Grey, Polk, James
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    In 1931 Grey Owl published his first book, The Men of the Last Frontier, a work that is part memoir, part history of the vanishing wilderness in Canada, and part compendium of animal and First Nations tales and lore. A passionate, compelling appeal for the protection and preservation of the natural environment pervades Grey Owls words and makes his literary debut still ring with great relevance in the 21st century. By the 1920s, Canadas outposts of adventure had been thrust farther and farther north to the remote margins of the country. Lumbermen, miners, and trappers invaded the primeval forests, seizing on natures wealth with soulless efficiency. Grey Owl himself fled before the assault as he witnessed his valleys polluted with sawmills, his hills dug up for hidden treasure, and wildlife, particularly his beloved beavers, exterminated for quick fortunes.

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